“It was such a overwhelming feeling to be blessed so much financially,” Steven said of the experience. “It was … one of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences, that you’re on a roller coaster going up and down, but even the even the downs are fun and exciting.”
The pair appeared on the season 6 premiere episode and are one of the teams who’ve cashed out the most money. Two teams in the third season of the show won $1.67 and 1.75 million, respectively.
The goal of the game is to bank as much money as possible by answering questions correctly and landing balls in the 40-foot-tall pegboard’s high-value slots. In the second round, the players are separated and one is placed in an isolation chamber; this player is later sent a “contract” and must decide to sign it or tear it up.
Signing the contract guarantees a payout, but tearing up the contract awards the team their final bank total. But, the isolated player has no idea how many answers were correct, the payout total and the team’s final bank.
“I honestly felt like I was going to pass out because I wanted to tell him, because he seemed like he was getting ready to pass out himself,” Steven said with a laugh.
Seth, a college student, said the two had prepared immensely before and during their trip to California to film the show.
“I’m here quizzing my dad on things from his childhood and I’m like, ‘Wait, what was Michael Jackson’s first album? When did this song come out? Who was popular in 1980?'” Seth recalled. “We were there in California for a week or so before the show. We’re exploring the city, we’re going out to eat together. I think it just being us allowed it to ease my mind a lot.”
The pair recalled some hikes they went on to clear their minds during trivia sessions.
“We needed a break from this stressful moment. It’s like a day or two before we know we’re going to film, and you have so much uncertainty and a little bit of anxiety about this situation,” Seth said. “But to just get out, get some fresh air, have this conversation with each other, like, ‘I’m not going to tell you to rip it up. I’m not going to tell you to sign it. I’m not going to tell you where to drop the ball from. I trust you, and whatever decision you make in the moment, that’s what you thought was best.'”
Steven acknowledged that the game put them under “tremendous pressure and stress.”
“I said, ‘We’re going to probably have to look at each other for the rest of our lives.’ We could look at each other and say, ‘Wow, we made the wrong decision,’ or, ‘Wow, we made the right decision,'” Steven said, laughing, elaborating that he was thankful they won.
“Being so young and tasked with this decision, I always felt confident that my family [would] be happy with me and love me no matter what, but I think they might be a little bit happier if there’s a good outcome rather than a bad one,” Seth said. “I’m so grateful I made the right [decision].”
But, their preparation didn’t ultimately beat out any last-minute jitters they had before filming.
“The most stressful time for me was right before we went out to the show, because we knew once we walked through those doors, it was game time,” Steven recalled. “I looked over at Seth, and he’s shaking. I can literally see his heart beating out of his shirt. And I’m sweating, and … I’m praying. I said, ‘Please let this be a life changing moment for us.'”
“The thing that I’ve let my mind run while on is the possibilities of less stress on finances,” Steven said. “Before you think about, ‘Wow, I’d like to do this, I’d like to do that,’ it’s really just living a life now of a lot of unlimited possibilities. And I think that’s really what I enjoy the most right now.”
